IITs to create new seats to admit more women

The top admissions body of the IITs approved additional seats for women on Saturday in a bid to allow more women to be able to qualify for the premier institutes.

A meeting of the joint admission board (JAB) decided that the quota of “supernumerary” seats for women would be hiked every year until enrolment of female students touched 20%.

“In case a female candidate is unable to come through the general category she will be admitted through the supernumerary one,” said a human resource development ministry official present in Saturday’s meeting.

The increase won’t affect the existing number of seats for male candidates and the changes would be implemented over a maximum of eight years.

“The 20% supernumerary seats will be filled by female candidates who have qualified JEEAdvanced. Also, they should be in the top 20 percentile in their respective board exams,” said another official.

HT had first reported on January 16 that the JAB – which oversees IIT admissions – had proposed creating up to 20% additional seats for female students. Seats vacated by female students will be filled by female candidates only, explained an official.

The IITs are among India’s best institutes and regularly are ranked highly in global surveys but are plagued by a paltry number of women students, especially in the technical sector. Currently, women students make up just 8% of the student strength at 23 IITs across the country.

Officials said from the next academic year, the extra seats for women would be increased to 14%. Seats vacated by female students will be filled by female candidates only.

“Every IIT will be asked to make special provision. In the admission process itself a special category called supernumerary seats for girls will be created,” said a senior official.

The government hopes the measure would arrest the drop in the number of women admitted to IITs in recent years. In 2014, 8.8% women were admitted which went up to 9% in 2015 and in 2016 it was down to 8%. Sources said that the report points out how parents don’t prefer to send their daughters for coaching classes, which has become essential to crack JEE Advanced.

The committee has also made certain other recommendations at school level, which will have a long-term effect.